eBay Report: A Pet Skunk And A Naval Mascot

From time to time, this website will take a light-hearted look at some of the items connected to Wakefield and its history that are currently up for sale on eBay. Here are some examples.

Mr. And Mrs. Akell's Pet Skunk: Back in 1965, the Associated Press picked up a photo showing a pet skunked owned by Mr. And Mrs. Arthur Akell of Wakefield. The “deodorized” skunk was named Pepper and was apparently known for walking on the piano keys during the overnight hours. So there you have it. Local history comes in all kinds of stripes.

A Day On The Lake: Here’s a glimpse of a summer day on Lake Quannapowitt back around the dawn of the 20th Century. The funny thing is that back around 1910 there actually seems to have been more in the way of boat traffic on the lake. Off the top of my head I am not sure what building that is in the background on the lefthand side.

Tom Webb, Time Traveler? According to the description of this photo, the man in the photo is named Tom Webb and the image was taken in Wakefield, Mass. Otherwise – is it me, or is it really, really hard to figure out just what that contraption is behind him? It’s like part car, part buggy, part hearse, part fire engine.

Camp Plunkett: I’m assuming this was somewhere around World War I when Navy and Marine Corps. personnel would apparently train in Wakefield at Camp Plunkett. I’m not sure yet what part of town this was in, but would be interested to learn whether this place existed at the same time as Camp Stanton in Lynnfield, which existed from around the Civil War to soon after the Spanish-American War.

The Camp Mascot: Speaking of Camp Plunkett, here’s an image going for $8.50 on eBay showing four Navy sailors with a goat that was apparently the camp’s mascot. All that’s missing is for Ernest Borgnine as Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale to come marching in demanding that everybody stop goofing off and get back to work and hide the illegal poker game because an A) Air Raid or B) a visit from the Admiral, was imminent.